Every night throughout the playoffs, Sporting News will recognize that day’s top performers by awarding Star Points to the three players who shine brighter than the rest. At the end of the Stanley Cup Finals, the player with the most Star Points will be SN’s Star of the Playoffs.

Here are the stars of Thursday's game:

1. Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings

The Coyotes had taken their first lead of the Western Conference finals, and for the first time, it seemed like maybe, just maybe, Phoenix would be able to make a series of it. That feeling lasted a little more than two minutes, then Kopitar set things back on their previous course.

Coming out of the defensive zone, Kopitar raced ahead of Coyotes forward Lauri Korpikoski, and Dustin Brown hit him in stride with a pass to set up a breakaway. Once Kopitar got in alone on Mike Smith, he tapped the ice a couple of times, then shifted the puck from forehand to backhand. Smith anticipated the Slovenian would try to slip the puck around him, and stuck out his left leg, but instead Kopitar went five hole for his fifth goal of the playoffs.

“I knew if I could get a step on (Korpikoski), there was a good chance I was going to get a breakaway,” Kopitar said. “Brown got a good pass. The rest is just going in. I think instincts just take over, and fortunately for me it worked out.”

Kopitar led the Kings with four shots on goal in 22:59 and added four hits.

2. Dwight King, LW, Los Angeles Kings

With his fourth goal of the series and fifth of the postseason, King not only broke a 1-1 tie in Game 3, he broke a 3-3 tie over the course of the Western finals with the Coyotes, whom he has now personally outscored.

King’s second straight game-winning goal came on his only shot of Game 3, as on a delayed penalty against Phoenix’s Antoine Vermette in the corner, Trevor Lewis—who drew the penalty—managed to get the puck to King. Nobody picked up King, who skated freely along the boards and curled back at the right circle before firing a wrist shot over Mike Smith’s glove with 18:13 left in the third period.

“Obviously a big goal tonight,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. “Great play out of the corner. Guy with good hands and a little composure there. Puts it right in the spot he has to—huge goal for us.”

3. Daymond Langkow, C, Phoenix Coyotes

Scoring his first playoff goal since 2008 with the Calgary Flames, Langkow provided the Coyotes with their only lead of the series, and even though it didn’t last, the veteran center had a strong overall performance with five hits, two blocked shots and a 10-for-19 performance in the faceoff circle.

The shot that Langkow scored on came off a partial breakaway, and he was wise to fire from the high slot before the play could be broken up from behind. Not only that, shooting a little early seemed to catch Jonathan Quick off guard, as Langkow snuck his wrister between the Vezina Trophy finalist’s legs for Phoenix’s first goal in 102:58.

Star point standings

Based on a 3-2-1 point system, with three points awarded for first star, two points for second star and one point for third star.